Tuesday, June 26, 2018

CHEAP TRICK - June 22, 2018 Bethel, NY - Concert Review with Video and Photos

Poison (Click here for that review) is currently touring with Cheap Trick (and Pop Evil) and the tour stopped at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, NY last Friday, June 22, the day after summer officially began.



I've seen Poison about a dozen times and Cheap Trick probably twice that, so I didn't expect any major surprises, just a great night of fun rock n roll.



We started the trek from the parking lot into the venue at about 7:00pm, right about the time Pop Evil took the stage.  Maybe I just haven't heard the right stuff by them or maybe they're just not my thing, but I decided to skip them for more pre-show hang time with my friends in the parking lot.



They were ending their set with their lead singer venturing out into the audience at about the time we arrived at our seats after getting through security, hitting the bathroom and checking the merch booth.  The crowd inside seemed to dig them.



The pavilion was pretty full in the front orchestra sections as well as in the cheaper seats in the back sections, but it looked like they only sold about every other row in the main middle section (which were a bit steep at $80 to $100). From our seats it did look like a real nice turn out on the lawn probably helped by the great weather on this night.



We settled in, ordered some beers and as the clock struck eight, Cheap Trick strolled on stage and opened with the classic "Hello There" and then gave us a taste of newer material with "You Got It Going On" from last year's "We're All Alright!" album.



Their great cover of The Move's "California Man" was next and then we moved into the 80's for "If You Want My Love" which I always dig hearing.



A big crowd favorite (although not one of mine), their cover of Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame", kept everyone cheering.



They rode the applause into their latest single "The Summer Looks Good on You" which most in attendance probably heard for the first time as they played it, but its catchy chorus had folks singing along and it fit the vibe of the night perfectly.  



So far it was a solid set and then bassist Tom Petersson did a bass solo followed by their cover of The Velvet Undergrounds "I'm Waiting for the Man" with Petersson on lead vocals while Robin Zander played acoustic guitar all the way over on the side of the stage.  



In the past few years this has become a standard in the set.  I'm a huge VU fan, but I gotta say, I'm never a fan of this cover and to have a bass solo before it during an hour long opening set just makes no sense.  This became a big beer run for much of the crowd.



They did get the crowd back by following it up with their 1988 number one hit "The Flame."  While most of the crowd loved it, it's just another of those songs I could never get into, but I totally understand and expect it will always get played.



Now it was time to play the classics to end the set and they started with the always great "I Want You To Want Me." Here's the video I shot of that one.




Next up was "Dream Police" and this set was going just as I expected, pure solid rock n roll, but no real surprises...until the song ended and Rick Nielsen announced Earl Slick would join them.



They kicked into a fantastic cover of John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band's "Cold Turkey"  Here's the video I shot of that one.




The band, including drummer Daxx Nielsen, sounded great.  



They also had a rhythm guitarist playing with them all night.  I could not find his name, if anyone knows it, please let me know. (Update - I've been informed in the comments it's Robin Zander's son, Robin Taylor.  Thanks for the info!)



Earl stayed out for the remaining two songs.



In addition for part of the next one, "Surrender," Rick called out a woman from the side of the stage to sing along a bit.  



Not sure if this was just a friend or if this is someone known, but here's a picture of her with Rick.  Fill me in.



After starting an hour earlier with "Hello There", the only way to properly end the set is with "Goodnight Now."



The crowd cheered, the band waved goodbye and the house lights came up.



Many of us rushed to the bathrooms and/or beer stalls before Poison would hit the stage and the summer rockin' would continue...



If you're not yet part of our Facebook group, please click the Like button below.  You'll always be kept up to date on future posts, have the ability to comment and share all content, and get access to our contests and giveaways!  Also if you're a fan of Cheap Trick I've got quite a few other Cheap Trick concert reviews on this site.  Check them out! 

Click any photos to enlarge them to full screen.  Also follow on twitter @MostPeopleBlank   Then, of course, as always - Rock on and Enjoy - Paul

POISON - June 22, 2018 Bethel, NY - Concert Review with Video and Photos

So we left off just having seen Cheap Trick finish their set (click here for that review) and after waiting a short time, the house lights went down and Poison's intro video came on.  Just as it finished the band exploded into their classic opener "Look What the Cat Dragged In"



As I said in the Trick review, you're not going to get a lot of surprises at a Poison show and that's not a bad thing.



What you know you ARE going to get is an incredibly fun high energy everybody singing and dancing along set of rock n roll hits!  A LOT of HITS!  You almost forget how many damn hits Poison have had...so many they didn't even play them all (no "I Won't Forget You" which just missed the top ten back in the 80's)



Next up they stayed with their debut album for "I Want Action"



The band was sounding great and looked excited and happy to be there with Rikki Rockett sitting high above his drum kit to seemingly party along with the crowd even more.



Bret Michaels was the perfect summer party host, making sure everyone was having a great time, which they were as the band played "Ride The Wind."



C.C. DeVille then returned us to their 1st album for the last time that night with that opening riff of "Talk Dirty To Me".  



Here's the video I shot of "Talk Dirty To Me":




At this point Bret announced they would be bringing some special guests out on stage - some veterans in attendance - to join the band while they played "Something to Believe In".  



I believe Bret said the first guy that came out was his cousin and I only call this out because it turned out this guy and his buddy pulled into the lot next to us a few hours prior, then when we got to our seats, they were sitting in the row right in front of us and now there he was up on stage.  My point?  I dunno, but it was a touching moment and received possibly the loudest applause of the night.




It was immediately back to summer party mode with their cover of Loggins and Messina's "Your Mama Don't Dance" which appeared to have every mom (and non-mom) dancing along.



C.C. then treated the crowd to a guitar solo which included some of Van Halen's "Eruption"



And the hits kept on coming with "Fallen Angel" followed by that unmistakable opening bass line of Bobby Dall announcing "Unskinny Bop"



There was then a drum solo by Rikki into a bass solo by Bobby.



Then one of the classic power ballads of all time, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"



The main set was then closed out with the theme song of the night "Nothin But a Good Time".  I did do a Facebook live video of this one which is posted on the Facebook page.  See below to click to join to view this extra video.



There was a short encore break and the band came back out joined by Leigh Kakaty of opener Pop Evil to end the night with the Kiss classic "Rock and Roll All Nite"



When the house lights came up we were able to go right down front where we ran into our friend Jen and I was able to snag this setlist (well 70% of a setlist). Double Nice!



A fun time was had by all and it was a great start to summer (which literally started the day before)


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MORE PHOTOS BELOW!!  Click any photos to enlarge them to full screen.  Also follow on twitter @MostPeopleBlank   Then, of course, as always - Rock on and Enjoy - Paul





Sunday, June 10, 2018

Roger Daltrey performs The Who's "Tommy" - Bethel, NY - June 8, 2018 review, video & photos

On June 8, 2018 Roger Daltrey kicked off his "Roger Daltrey performs The Who's Tommy" tour at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in the Bethel, NY.  Here's the full review including my photos and HD videos.

At each stop of the tour, Daltrey, who is touring with most of The Who band, will perform backed by a local orchestra.  At this stop, The Hudson Valley Philharmonic filled the bill and they were conducted by Keith Levenson.


The tickets stated the show would start at 8:00pm and it appeared many in attendance expected there to be an opener as much of the crowd were still filing into the pavilion when the orchestra struck the opening notes of "Overture" at 8:10pm. Daltrey walked out onto the stage just before the first vocals to loud applause.


"Tommy" was performed straight through to the end without Daltrey talking to the crowd at all, not even a "hello" during this 80 minute main set.  He performed it much like an opera or classic piece, simply letting the music and lyrics tell the story instead of breaking it up with stage banter which was saved until its completion.


The album contains so many classics which were great to hear live. Below are the Youtube links to the three songs I shot close up and in HD with my camera.


"Sparks"


"Pinball Wizard"


"Sally Simpson"


"Tommy" ended with everyone in the audience on their feet singing along. All remained on their feet giving a standing ovation afterward as Daltrey spoke for the first time thanking the crowd, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic orchestra and Conductor Keith Levenson who Daltrey stated he would not have been able to do this tour without and that he has worked with since 1994. The orchestra was spot on (with just two days of challenging rehearsals) and it was great to hear this complete bombastic version of this classic album live in it's entirety.


Daltrey's voice was powerful through out (and Pete's brother Simon did a great job covering Pete's vocal sections) although he must have had to deal with some pot smokers up front as later, before the final encore, he would admonish some in the crowd stating how he wished people could stop smoking for the hour and 20 minutes "because trying to hit those notes is a bitch" even without smoke in the air. A few years ago at a Who show in Long Island, Daltrey talked about how he was allergic to marijuana smoke and almost cancelled the show.  The open pavilion and cool breezy night must have made it only an annoyance tonight and did not have a negative effect on his voice.


This was Daltrey's only complaint of the night, it appeared he loved the performance and crowd reaction.


At this point we wondered what would follow.  Would it be "Tommy" and done?  Would it be a nice long set like he did when he toured "Tommy" in 2011 where he followed the "Tommy" performance with an additional 10 song set?  


Well, he didn't leave the stage, instead he strapped on a guitar and the band kicked into "Who Are You" to the crowd's delight.


The excitement continued when "Baba O'Riley" followed, giving everyone in the crowd the iconic moment at every Who (or Who related show) where you get to scream "We're All Wasted!" in unison.



Daltrey then introduced the members of The Who band joining him on this tour starting with "my brother" Simon Townshend, bassist Jon Button and then "fill-in" drummer Scott Devours because Roger joked he could not afford normal Who drummer Zak Starkey since he is "the son of a bloody Beatle!" Keyboardist Loren Gold was introduced next and then high praise for guitarist and musical director Frank Simes.


Roger than announced he had just one more song he would like to play for us.  He said it was a song he wrote with a friend in the early 90's and never thought he'd get to release on an album because it's so different but that it's on his new album ("As Long As I Have You" released exactly a week earlier) which is "possibly the last one I'll ever do, who knows at my age...it's a spiritual song without being a religious song, it's about us and the universe we live in...it's about where we're all headed...it's called Always Heading Home."


It's the closing track on Daltrey's new album and instead of going out tearing the roof off the place with one of many Who classics he could have played, he instead ended the show on a touching quiet note backed only by piano and some strings. 


Of course I would have loved more, but it was a fantastic 95 minutes of music.  It was odd to have a major show end at 9:45pm, but with so much great music delivered, a lot of songs I haven't heard live since 1989 and a few never at all, it was really a perfect early summer night show.

If you go, get there early. Roger, like Spinal Tap, is not only exuberant and full of raw power, but evidently very punctual.

If you want to see/hear more of the show, I was doing Facebook live for a bit of it and those videos are on the MostPeopleAreBlank Facebook group page (the link is in the paragraph below).  Those all in general have great sound, but the video is a bit distant and at times blurs out.  Those videos include the opening of the show (Overture/It's a Boy/1921), "Christmas", "I'm Free", "We're Not Gonna Take It"/Roger speaks after Tommy Set, and Roger's final comments/"Always Heading Home"

If you're not yet part of our Facebook group, please click the Like button below.  You'll always be kept up to date on future posts, have the ability to comment and share all content, and get access to our contests and giveaways! 

Click any photos to enlarge them to full screen.  Also follow on twitter @MostPeopleBlank   Then, of course, as always - Rock on and Enjoy - Paul